Wow ... I got quite a shock checking in here and seeing about 450 replies to my post, being accustomed to a limit of 150 for so many years. I just want to add something that might already be mentioned somewhere in that pile of replies:
A significant problem with the way the process functions over there is that (apparently) punitive action cannot be applied per subforum; instead, it affects them all. Thus, if you draw the wrath of a single moderator with a single post, you find yourself sandboxed in every subforum, including ones where you are regarded as a perfectly behaved, valued, and respected member. Many moderators don't check their subforums all that often, so your posts in those can sit around literally for days before anyone sees them, destroying useful discourse. Also, sandboxing makes it impossible to send a PM to any member, including a moderator.
I once spent something like three months in that situation at DPReview, wondering when or if I'd ever be freed. Messages I sent to the DPReview admins themselves (those are allowed) went unanswered - basically a black hole. Surely that type of global isolation can't be considered appropriate. The admins can be blamed for setting things up that way, but moderators who recognize the far-reaching effects of their actions should exercise some restraint in the way things are judged and resulting 'sentences' are imposed.
BTW, it was also a surprise to see that a poll was added to my post here, after the fact. So many new things to get used to!
